When Jeni Jenkins moved to Northside, neighbor Maureen Wood noticed right away that her fence posts were in danger.

Those fence posts need tops on them, or they’ll rot, Ms. Wood advised. Jenkins didn’t know – this was her first house.

“I come home one day and all of them are covered with tops. They don't match, but they're covered,” Jenkins said. “She went into her basement and just did it. She was just looking out for people. That's just the kind of character that she was.”

Looking out for people – and community – was Ms. Wood's thing.

"She was fierce in her care of her community and neighborhood," said Nancy Ent, a longtime friend.

Ms. Wood, who died at age 62 on May 26, transformed Cincinnati's Northside neighborhood during her lifetime. She was equal parts real estate developer and social activist – she’d fight to save abandoned historic buildings like Chase School, then rehab them until they were fashioned into affordable housing.

“She fought to make sure that in developing and building up communities, that the benefit that came with revitalized communities is something that all of its residents could enjoy,” Ms. Wood's longtime friend Lucia Palmarini said. “She undercharged everyone for rent. How many contractors do you know who are essentially social justice warriors?”

Ms. Wood is remembered by her family, friends and community for her tireless devotion to building community as much as she built physical spaces.

She was central to Crazy Ladies Bookstore, founded in 1979, which provided more than just feminist literature at the height of the women's movement.

"Maybe they'd have an AA meeting, maybe it'd be a women's issues seminar. Things that were done in there were all free to the people that wanted to use the space," said Chuck Brown, another Northsider.

Empowering women was central to her mission of building community. As the founder of the Women's Resource Development Center, Ms. Wood taught women construction skills that she had taught herself. Women from all walks of life learned skills necessary to be employed in trades.

She moved on from the center to open Off the Avenue Studios, an artists' community and gathering space.

Ms. Wood's fingerprints are evident on nearly every corner of Northside. She drove the project to rehab the Chase School into condos. She also gave Mobo Bicycle Co-op its first space in the garage of the former Santo Florist, which she had renovated into the Village Green community garden.

She died as she lived, working on yet another Northside project. Common Ground was envisioned as a space for people from all faiths to come together and find commonality.

Life wasn't exclusively about her latest construction or community project. Family was central to Wood, who had grown up in an orphanage.

"She built a little clubhouse. She let me and my brother and friends pick out our color paint. We got into a huge paint fight. But it was OK. It was Maureen. The rules did not apply," said Mandy Hansel, Wood's niece.

Memorial boards covered in written memories have sprouted up outside of Off the Avenue Studios and Common Ground.